Where does “thornlessness” come from?
thornlessness (English) comes from English thornless, from English thorn, from Middle English þorn, from Old English þorn, from Proto-West Germanic þorn, from Proto-Germanic þurnuz, from Proto-Indo-European tr̥nós, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ter- — strong, firm, stiff, rigid; rigid, stiff; to...
thornlessness (English): Absence of thorns
Definitions
- Absence of thorns
Ancestry of “thornlessness”, step by step
thornlessness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English thornless
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | thornless | Without thorns |
| 2 | English | thorn | A sharp protective spine of a plant; Any shrub or... |
| 3 | Middle English | þorn | Alternative form of thorn |
| 4 | Old English | þorn | thorn; thorny bush; the runic character ᚦ; the... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | þorn | thorn, briar |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | þurnuz | thorn, briar |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | tr̥nós | sharp, stiff |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ter- | strong, firm, stiff, rigid; rigid, stiff; to... |
via English Ness
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | An Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa |
| 2 | Middle English | nesse | — |
| 3 | Old English | næs | not, not at all; not; first/third-person singular... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nasją | foothill; headland; cape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | néh₂s | nose |